Museum exhibit brings TAPS to Juneau

Four-and-a-quarter tons. Dozens of parts. Hundreds of miles. Two years of planning and effort.

By every measurement, the task was huge. But Alyeska's Philip Hoffman was up for the challenge.

Hoffman was brought into the fold early when Juneau's Andrew P. Kashevaroff State Library, Archives and Museum, affectionately known as the SLAM, asked Alyeska officials if they could, by chance, acquire a piece of the pipeline for an exhibit.

The museum didn't simply want a single-ring cutout showing diameter, or a steel pipeline cutout showing thickness; they were asking for what Hoffman calls "a typical intermediate bent." That means a length of 48-inch diameter classic TAPS pipe, two vertical support members, one hefty crossbeam, a pipeline shoe, two pipe clamps, and four heat pipes – not to mention the fiberglass module that wraps the pipe.

"If it wasn't for Phil, this never would have happened," said Michelle Egan, Director of Corporate Communications, one of the first to hear of the request. "It was a huge job for him. It was identifying the pipe, identifying the VSMs, consulting on the installation and mapping out the assembly."

This particular Juneau establishment is designed to house the state archives and library alongside extensive art, Native and historical collections. Supporters say the 18,000-square-foot facility that was years in the making will be a community cornerstone of culture, sure to educate and enthrall crowds of locals and tourists alike.

Being in Southeast Alaska, many of those folks have little or no familiarity with TAPS. Both Egan and Hoffman, a pipeline advisor based in Fairbanks, saw the tremendous potential in supporting such a display.

"I didn't see it as too big of challenge," said Hoffman, who started working on the project midway through 2014, when he oversaw the aboveground pipeline monitoring and maintenance program.

"I thought, 'I'll go find the pieces,'' he said.

It didn't take long for Hoffman, a 19-year TAPS employee, to realize just how unusual this request was. Alyeska had never gifted an entire "intermediate bent" to an outside entity before.

That meant a lot of time researching exactly what parts they would need to ship south – from the pipe itself, to clamp bolts, to washers and Teflon slide plates, to VSM caps and a fiberglass module.

"I had to go through every nut and bolt to make sure a complete kit was collected and shipped," Hoffman said.

Lynden Transport, Inc., helped with the monstrous task of shipping. Hoffman made sure the crew that would assemble the pipeline kit – a group likely without a pipeliner among them – had instructions that were useful to follow.

"It was a challenge to prepare the assembly instructions to provide to someone who didn't know anything about it," he said. "It would have been ridiculous to have sent the half dozen or more construction drawings. It seemed like just giving them a typical sketch should have been sufficient, and they seemed to have pulled it off."

Ultimately, museum staff had to add additional beam support in the floor beneath the towering TAPS exhibit to protect the parking garage below. They welded the VSMs to the steel beams in the flooring, then built the floor around it.

Translation: This is one section of TAPS that isn’t going anywhere for a very long time.

At SLAM's unveiling in Juneau this month, Hoffman made his way immediately to the TAPS exhibit. The piece of pipe stretches high above the other exhibits, among showcases highlighting industries like the railroad and mining.

Hoffman snapped photographs as others paused to gape up at the impressive structure and read the information placards. He used his iPhone flashlight to get a closer look at the assemblage, and then stepped back and examined it again.

How did it all look? He had just one word to sum it up: "Awesome," he said.

A dozen Alaska interns join Alyeska for summer assignments

Twelve interns recently joined a variety of Alyeska departments as part of the 2016 Summer Internship Program. Each intern will advance their professional skills in Alyeska's dynamic work environment while furthering Alyeska's workforce development efforts. This summer, interns will work in Anchorage, the Valdez Marine Terminal and at stations along TAPS.

"Alyeska's Summer Internship Program is an important aspect of our commitment to creating development opportunities for students interested in pursuing careers in the oil industry," said Matt Carle, Alyeska's Alaska Native Program Director. "We're able to bring in new talent each year and give them meaningful work experiences and they’re able to learn more about what it's like to work for a company like Alyeska."

This summer's interns are:
• Janelle Feller of Anchorage, a biology student at UAF who will work in the Environment Department in Anchorage
• Joseph (Joey) Glasheen of Anchorage, a mechanical engineering student at UAA who will work in Projects and Project Controls in Anchorage
• Tyler Henriksen of Anchorage, a mechanical engineering student at UAA who will work in Engineering Standards & Programs in Anchorage
• Andrew Hill of Soldotna, an instrumentation/process technology student at Kenai Peninsula College who will work at Pump Station 1
• Jonah Jeffries of Wasilla, an electrical engineering student at UAF who will work in O&M Engineering in Valdez
• Adam Leggett of Anchorage, an MBA student at Alaska Pacific University who will work in the CFO Department in Anchorage
• Tara McGrogan of Fairbanks, an MBA student at UAF who will work in Corporate Communications in Anchorage
• Brett Meyer of Sterling, an instrumentation/process technology student at UAF who will work in VMT Utilities-Ballast Water Treatment
• Martin Parsons of Fairbanks, an instrumentation/process technology student at UAF who will work in VMT Utilities-Ballast Water Treatment
• Ehren Rickman of Soldotna, an instrumentation/process technology student at Kenai Peninsula College who will work at Pump Station 1
• Gregory (Greg) Schmidt of Anchorage, an electrical engineering student at UAA who will work in O&M Engineering in Anchorage
• Cameron Toskey of Anchorage, a chemical engineering student at the University of Idaho who will work in I&M Planning & Mitigation in Anchorage

Marine milestone: SERVS celebrates tanker escort 13,001

Alyeska's Ship Escort/Response Vessel System recently celebrated moving its 13,001st tanker through Prince William Sound with a SERVS tug escort.

Why celebrate the 13,001st, instead of a round number like 13,000? Blame maritime superstition. It turns out mariners think a lot of things are bad luck – among them, bringing bananas aboard, killing a gull or uttering the number thirteen. Or so says Wikipedia, and some of Alyeska’s own SERVS staffers, who were excited to celebrate this significant milestone.

For milestone purists, the Polar Endeavour was the 13,000th tanker escorted. The 13,001st was the Alaskan Frontier.

Since SERVS startup in 1989, tankers have loaded and departed Valdez with about 9.8 billion barrels of oil.

"Every tanker escort is critical to our prevention efforts in Prince William Sound, but reaching these major milestones is special to me, and special to our team," said Mike Day, SERVS Operations Manager. "Every single person here has a role in making sure that the TAPS system continues safely from the Valdez Marine Terminal though Hinchinbrook Entrance."

SERVS formed after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989. The first tanker to load and depart following that spill was most likely the Bristol Bay, according to Alyeska records.

SERVS was formally established July 10, 1989, and the tugs Biehl Traveler and Biehl Trader were the fleet’s first. The largest tanker berthed and loaded to date carried more than two million barrels of crude oil.
An average escort length is 65 miles, running nearly seven hours in duration.

Providing escorts to laden tankers is just one of the many tasks managed by SERVS. The SERVS team also maintains spill response equipment around Prince William Sound, positions and staffs various barges, and manages the massive Vessel of Opportunity Program, annually training hundreds of citizens in spill response tactics.

Materials team reaches 20-year safety milestone

The TAPS workforce had its best safety year in history in 2015 with just four recordable injuries in 5.8 million hours of work. This achievement was recognized TAPS-wide and set the bar high for 2016. For Alyeska’s Materials team, excellent safety performance is commonplace; the group recently reached 20 years without a recordable injury.

That's 20 years and millions of hours of operating forklifts and 48-ton heavy duty loaders; driving in packed warehouses and on icy roads; and using tools and equipment of all shapes and sizes, from box-cutters to ladders. In 2015, the warehouse team moved over 31,000 pieces of freight weighing nearly 20 million pounds safely along the pipeline and around Valdez and Fairbanks.

"We try to encourage safety as not only an individual effort, but as a shared responsibility of keeping each other safe," said Cheryl Graan, materials and purchasing manager based in Fairbanks.

A CULTURE OF SAFETY IN BUSY, VARIED WORKPLACES

The Materials team consists of more than 30 Alyeska and Houston Contracting Company employees based in Fairbanks, Valdez and pump stations. Staff process thousands of purchase orders, handle logistics of incoming supplies, ensure deliveries and manage over $57 million of inventory across TAPS. Attention to detail is critical for coordinators who work in confined warehouse spaces and unpredictable outdoor conditions.

"This team is a shining example not just for Alyeska but our whole industry in Alaska," explained Dan Flodin, director of the Supply Chain Management Department that oversees the Materials group. "The collaboration between Alyeska and Houston Contracting Company employees around our core value of safety is phenomenal."

At the warehouses, each day begins with a tailgate meeting discussing the day's activities, potential safety hazards and mitigation measures. Additionally, the larger team holds weekly safety meetings and encourages each employee to lead. Graan adds that the success also stems from a focus on learning, improving and innovating with safety in mind.

"Everyone at the Alyeska Central Warehouse takes pride in the final outcome of every day," said Mike Fantazzi, Fairbanks warehouse foreman. "We belong to a team of people that are spread throughout the state with one common goal."

Evan Jones, Pump Station 9 materials coordinator, added: "We have a saying that we don't leave safety at the door. That's why I am proud of not being injured at work or at home with my family during my 17 years on TAPS."

HIGH SHELVES, HIGHER SAFETY STANDARDS AND OWNERSHIP

In warehouses full of materials, there’s nowhere to go but up. Materials often get stacked on pallets and stored high on warehouse shelves. Next time you take a trip to Costco or Home Depot, look around. Imagine the kind of tight-knit operation it takes to move materials of all shapes and sizes up and down, in and out, and doing it all safely. Team members say it’s vital to establish and uphold high safety standards, especially with new staff.

"The challenge is maintaining these safe practices with fresh faces coming and going," Graan said. "It's impressive that the newer staff embraces the safety culture, not only for themselves but also to pass that on and watch out for each other."

Jim Burzinski, Valdez material coordinator and one of the team’s safety leaders, said, "I am most proud of the personnel who helped get us to this point and the personnel who continue to lead by example."

So, how does a team improve on a two-decades-long-and-running safety streak?

"This is a record that no one wants to break, believe me," Graan said. "Nobody wants to be the one to set the recordable incident sign back to zero. If we continue to follow our motto that 'No Task is Routine' we'll be able to achieve another 20 years of safe performance."

Alyeska receives Governor’s Safety Award of Excellence

Alyeska Pipeline Service Company was recognized with a Governor’s Safety Award of Excellence for the second year in a row at the recent Alaska Governor’s Safety & Health Conference in Anchorage.

"This is exciting because these awards aren't just based on successful safety programs, but also on a company's culture of safety,” said Brian Beauvais, Alyeska's Senior Health and Safety Manager, Risk and Technical. "At Alyeska and on TAPS, people are making safety a priority."

The Governor’s Safety Award of Excellence honors an organization’s safety and health systems that protect their employees in the workplace and promote corporate citizenship. Alyeska has received this award in the past, as well.

The TAPS workforce completed its best safety year ever in 2015. Alyeska staff and TAPS contractors worked a combined 5,827,988 hours and had just four recordable injuries while avoiding any days away from work cases during that time.

The state noted Alyeska's dedication to flawless operations and maintenance, as well as how Alyeska and TAPS workers embody that safety culture. Alyeska is also known for its "stop work" policy, which allows any employee or contractor to stop a task if they identify something unsafe about the activity.

Beauvais attributed two major factors to the improved safety performance: more and better data is being collected, distributed and communicated by Alyeska's Safety Department staff and TAPS supervisors and managers; and there is a better use of proactive tools like Safe Performance Self Assessments, Job Loss Analysis and Loss Prevention Observations that empower those performing the work.

Beauvais also pointed to the Safety Department's forecasting work as an example of a preventative approach to keeping employees safe. A monthly report uses risk and injury data from the past to predict the highest risks for the month ahead.

"TAPS-wide, there continues to be a significant increase in staff using these proactive tools which has led to a decrease in incidents, especially in the field," Beauvais added. "People have really upped their game of using safety data and communicating it with one another."

Valve testing project provides new information, efficiencies

Have a question about TAPS valves? Ask Alyeska valve engineer Dana DeGraffenried. He knows the minute details of all 176 valves along the 800-mile TAPS route. His valve knowledge is especially sharp right now, having concluded a four-year project of testing every valve on the pipeline last fall.

"This was a very successful project and we are thrilled to have it completed," DeGraffenried said. "One of the more amazing things to me in doing these tests is that these valves have been in service for 35-plus years and they still meet our very stringent criteria. It’s amazing to see how well they continue to perform."

In mid-1990s, questions arose about the legacy valves installed on TAPS: were they still viable and fully functional after more than 20 years of use and billions of barrels of oil passing by them? TAPS engineering teams developed ways to test the valves' leak-through rate, which is the amount of oil that passes by a valve when it is closed. Teams were tasked to test each valve that did not leak every 15 years, and any valve that did leak every seven years. Testing all of the valves requires four summers of work during planned maintenance shutdowns.

DeGraffenried said that only eight valves have ever had to be replaced on TAPS, which includes Remote Gate Valve 40's replacement this summer. Each summer since 2012, DeGraffenried and his teams charted TAPS into segments and tested valves in each of those areas during long-duration summer shutdowns.

Before the most recent four-year stretch of testing, DeGraffenried and his fellow engineers developed a new testing approach, utilizing a high-pressure pump-around skid in pipeline bypass areas. This allows oil to remain in the pipeline and teams to push and pull the oil at different pressure levels between valves for testing. As many as 20 teams were stationed at selected valves during testing. In the past, oil was drained from a large portion of the pipeline into nearby tanker trucks to lower the pressure on one side of a valve.

The new process instantly improved safety and efficiency while decreasing risk. By not draining oil out and then pumping it back into the pipeline, the new testing considerably lessened the chance of a spill or damage to the pipeline valves. By using the pump-around skid, teams were also able to test more valves during each shutdown.

"We have basically cut the testing time in half," DeGraffenried said. He estimates that the new testing process also saved Alyeska several million dollars over the previous testing approach.

DeGraffenried said that valve testing itself "is relatively simple and straight-forward work." Teams use digital testing gauges to read pressures as they open and close valves. The hardest part of the testing process, he noted, is communication between teams that are spread out over many miles in mostly remote areas. They use various devices to communicate, all with mixed results: the ARTS radio network, telephone setups at each remote gate valve, cell phones and even satellite phones. DeGraffenried said nothing works perfectly and sometimes communication connections were frustrating.

Despite occasional communication hurdles during testing, the larger message was loud and clear: the four-year valve testing, and its new approach, was a success.

"There were a lot of lessons learned since we started with the new testing in 2012 and we've improved the process significantly," DeGraffenried added. "After the first tests in 2012, we had three pages of lessons learned and important information captured. After our last tests in August, it was hard to pull anything new out of the testing group."

2015 Sustainability: A unique year in review

2015, TAPS' 38th year, was a strong performance year. Despite extreme spring floods, severe storms, summer wildfires, lower throughput, falling oil prices and aging infrastructure, Alyeska and TAPS contractor personnel sustained the high TAPS reliability and efficiency that owner companies, producers, shippers, refiners and Alaskans depend on. TAPS personnel compiled an outstanding record for safety and environmental protection. They completed a large project portfolio to support current and future system operating integrity. They personally supported many community needs across the state.

The new publication, 2015 Sustainability, illustrates some of the challenges and performances that made 2015 so unique for TAPS. Highlights of the publication include a letter from Alyeska President Tom Barrett and 2015 recaps covering Safety; Reliability and Renewal; Environment; Business Performance; Community; and TAPS People.

Barrett notes in his introduction, "Alyeska's focus on safe operation, effective maintenance, and emergency preparedness requires an all day, every day, round-the-clock commitment to excellence. Managers, supervisors, and employees along the line, in Valdez, Fairbanks and Anchorage all understand that not just what they do, but how well they do it, matters enormously. Their unrelenting focus on operational excellence, strong financial stewardship, teamwork and innovation, their operational and professional skill and discipline, and their willingness to personally take on the multiple challenges we faced in 2015 gave TAPS a good year. TAPS pride is not a slogan, it is how people who operate and manage TAPS define themselves."

Alyeska earns fifth World's Most Ethical Companies honor

Alyeska Pipeline Service Company is one of the World's Most Ethical (WME) Companies® for the fifth year in a row. The Ethisphere® Institute announced its selection on March 7 and will honor recipients at the 2016 WME Honoree dinner in New York.

"Our personnel continue to demonstrate rock solid integrity and ethics, despite challenging economic conditions and significant operational challenges," said Tom Barrett, Alyeska Pipeline Service Company President. "Earning this recognition for the fifth consecutive year is a source of pride that highlights to the world the professional character of the people across Alaska who operate TAPS."

Companies are evaluated in five key categories: ethics and compliance program, corporate citizenship and responsibility, culture of ethics, governance, and leadership, innovation and reputation. Alyeska demonstrated:

• Strong and consistent safety and environmental performance.
• Sustainability initiatives designed to extend the life of the pipeline and protect the environment.
• Established policies and procedures that foster ethical behavior.
• Corporate citizenship programs, including the annual United Way campaign, school partnerships and matching employee philanthropy contributions.
• Strong code of conduct and an excellent open work environment that encourages employees to raise concerns and identify company improvements.
• Direct lines of communication between the workforce and leadership.

"Congratulations to everyone at Alyeska Pipeline Service Company for being recognized as a World's Most Ethical Company," said Timothy Erblich, Ethisphere’s Chief Executive Officer. "Companies rely on Ethisphere to continually raise and measure the standards of corporate behavior. Those that demonstrate leadership in areas like citizenship, integrity and transparency create more value for their investors, communities, customers and employees, thus solidifying a sustainable business advantage."

The Ethisphere® Institute is a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices that fuel corporate character, marketplace trust and business success. Ethisphere honors superior achievement through its World’s Most Ethical Companies® recognition program. Ethisphere’s selection criteria and the complete list of 2016 World’s Most Ethical Companies can be found at http://worldsmostethicalcompanies.ethisphere.com/honorees.

TAPS Philanthropy 2015: Generosity in many forms

Across Alaska, Alyeska and its employees actively support the communities where they live and work through a robust philanthropy program, personal generosity and volunteerism, leadership with nonprofit organizations and enthusiastic workplace giving campaigns.

Here are some 2015 philanthropy highlights from Alyeska, TAPS organizations and their respective workforces:

Alyeska: A contributing community member"I continue to be impressed by Alyeska’s commitment to giving back to the communities they work in, and WISE is proud to partner with such a conscientious company."
– Robin Mayo, Executive Director, Wrangell Institute for Science and Environment

In 2015, Alyeska gave over $400,000 in grants to more than 150 organizations that vary in size and focus on areas such as safety, workplace development and education, environmental stewardship, healthy communities, and arts and culture.

Safety: On the side of every Alyeska vehicle reads the motto "Nobody gets hurt." Last year, Alyeska proudly supported organizations like the Alaska Avalanche Information Center, as well as events like the Occupational Health Summit, whose programs keep Alaskans safe at work and at play.

Workforce Development and Education: Growing an educated and well-trained workforce is critical to TAPS sustainability. In 2015, Alyeska supported groups that develop the next generation of Alaskans from birth onwards. This included early childhood education like programs like Best Beginnings, school-age programs like Junior Achievement and robotics teams in Valdez and Fairbanks. We also donated to continuing education and training courses, like the entrepreneurship program at the King Career Center in Anchorage and scholarships with organizations like the UAF Society of Women Engineers and the Society of Petroleum Engineers.

Environmental Stewardship: Protecting Alaska's unique and pristine environment is at the heart of all we do to "keep the oil in the pipe." Whether providing grants to the Prince William Sound Science Center and the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center or sponsoring the Wrangell Institute for Science and Environment's science lecture series, Alyeska-funded organizations around Alaska share our goal of preserving the land for future generations.

Healthy Communities: In 2015, Alyeska contributed to groups building safe and healthy communities for its employees and all Alaskans. It partnered with Covenant House, serving at-risk youth. Several public health entities like the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society and the Hospice of Anchorage benefited too. Alyeska is also a key sponsor of the Food Bank of Alaska, which helps hungry families around the state.

"Alyeska is such a great friend and supporter of Bean's Cafe. Their compassion and willingness to help those most in need is truly inspiring. They regularly serve meals, donate much-needed items like aprons, and contribute financially. We are truly grateful for the engagement in the mission and their support."
– Lisa Sauder, Executive Director, Bean's Cafe

Arts, Culture and Diversity: By sponsoring non-profits like the NAACP, Alaska Public Media, the Valdez Museum and Historical Association and others, Alyeska helps foster communities rich with a spectrum of experiences.

Successful workplace giving
In addition to sponsoring non-profits whose missions align with Alyeska’s core values, Alyeska also matches contributions made by our employees. In 2015, the company donated around $100,000 to more than 70 organizations around the state through the employee-match program.

"It's really special to live in a community and see firsthand how your company makes a difference. Our coworkers are so generous and creative. It's a real joy to participate in the United Way campaign."
– Sandy Johns, Alyeska’s Valdez United Way Campaign Co-Chair

Alyeska's proud legacy of strong United Way campaigns continued in 2015. Over a six-week campaign, the company and its contractor partners raised over $565,000 for United Way affiliates all over the Alaska. Many employees signed up to donate directly each month, and enthusiastic volunteers in each area organized fundraisers like dessert auctions, a quilt raffle and other events to further grow the donations.

Flagship events
Workplace giving extended beyond the United Way campaign. The annual Prince William Sound Traveling Health Fair brought employees and health care providers to the region's remote communities for healthy lifestyles education. In Fairbanks, Alyeska helped stage the Track and Field Day, encouraging physical activity for 400 school-age kids. More than 130 employees participated in the Anchorage Heart Walk and raised more than $29,000. Alyeska also supported the Interior’s largest canned food drive and similar drives in Valdez and Anchorage.

"Canned Food Day is the largest food drive we have each year. Alyeska's support of this day allows thousands of Tanana Valley residents to eat each year. Thank you Alyeska for being such a valuable member of this community and for having such a heart for the people we serve!"
– Anne Weaver, CEO, Fairbanks Community Food Bank

TAPS lab upgrades make work more efficient, innovative

Along TAPS, three laboratories are set in three radically different locations: Pump Station 1, the North Pole Metering station and the Valdez Marine Terminal. Meanwhile, the Laboratories Management group is based in Anchorage. While the workplaces vary, technicians and staff at all locations share the same ultimate responsibility – partnering with Oil Movements to ensure oil from TAPS is measured accurately. The Valdez Lab has additional accountabilities for regulatory testing, including the ballast water treatment effluent discharge permit.

All of the labs utilize the same system to capture and share critical data. Until recently, that system was outdated and not compatible with Windows 7. When the Enterprise Network was recently upgraded to Windows 7, a lab software upgrade was critical.

The Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) that connects all of the labs was upgraded as part of a large collaborative project, but this was not an overnight software update that many computer users experience. This was an Authorized For Expenditure-funded project that took more than three years to complete. The result was thoroughly improved software, firmware and instrument interfaces at all three labs.

Success for a project of this size required a well-coordinated, multi-team effort, including direct participation from lab technicians. Key players were Alyeska's Analytical Lab Services team, WiPro staff, the Alyeska IT group and software vendors. In order to prevent downtime or data loss, users and vendors were involved in the final planning stages. The project wrapped up in a few phases – the cutover on October 27 and the final declaration of success on December 11. The project team proudly noted that the upgrade was completed on time and under budget.

"This was one of the more complex projects from an IT standpoint – three unique locations, different kinds of software and an upset to a 24-hour service," explained Loretta Ruppert, Alyeska IT Analyst. "This was a great example of taking a system view. We had all of these teams and components, but we followed a plan and communicated constantly. And since the cutover, everyone is ecstatic with the upgrade."

NEW TECHNOLOGY, TRAINING LEAD TO SUCCESS

TAPS laboratory work, and the software used in that work, is complex. Technicians use the LIMS to store and report all lab data for crude oil custody transfer, meter verifications, drinking water, wastewater and fuel for air quality permits. Today, all LIMS components are networked and deployed into production as a single integrated solution. Project leads say that the upgrades will improve workflow by taking advantage of features that weren't previously available and will provide even further opportunities to innovate moving forward.

"Analytical Lab Services is doing more work than ever and there is constant change in that work," explained Kevin Dillard, Analytical Services Project Lead. "This upgrade gives our lab techs advanced software and tools that allows them to work better and more efficiently."

Instructor-led, hands-on training of the new software was another major outcome from this project. Many times software is changed and user training is self-study or on-the-job training. User training was recognized as a critical component by the project team. Another benefit of the training was that lab technicians could brainstorm about innovation and improvement ideas that can be implemented in the future.

"It is very gratifying to have the software upgrades installed and operating well," explained Bob Carson, Alyeska Lab Manager. "It was one of the smoothest upgrades we have completed. As with every project, the people who completed the work and the lab techs who tested the system deserve the credit for our success."